Hi-Ex Report

GM JORDAN reports live from the Hi-Ex convention in Scotland exclusively for Speech Balloons.

If there was a list of all the places you would expect to find a comic convention there is a huge safe bet that Inverness would not be on it. But for the last few years Hi-Ex has been kicking up a comic storm. It has been a fun place to be, the fans have been hardcore fans willing to make the trek north in all kinds of weather to be rewarded with a wonderful sense of intimacy that you don't usually get at conventions in the major cities.

When I arrived the weather was not looking promising and the chances were that it was going to snow, in the past that has meant that people attending ran the risk of either giving up or risk being snowed in. In fact the drive up brought me through snow bands and I saw just about every kind of weather system.

The Eden Court venue is simply stunning, well light, comfortable and with ample room. There was a great mixture of children and adults, the comic creators were relaxed and chatted happily with fans. The panel were held in rooms small enough to get a cosy feel and yet large enough to get everyone in. I attended the panel centred on horror comics and felt like I was sitting in the front room of somebody's house as Jasper Bark, Al Ewing, Terry Martin, Charlie Adlard and John Higgins decided to discuss what horror in comics meant to them. It had a warm feel to it that is sometimes lost if you have 150 people crammed into a small room hanging onto every word the panel has to say.

The dealer's room was just the right size to fit indepent publishers and a few dealers inside, there was plenty of air and lots to see and do. Murky Depths dominated the room with their impressive range of horror anthologies whilst Com.X were proving why they are back in a big way with Andi Ewington's 45 taking pride of place on their tables alongside Razorjack and Class War. For younger fans there were comics, face painting, workshops and lots to see or do.

In addition to the panels there were portfolio reviews and an RPG room, for those wishing to make writing a career there was a writing workshop where pros gave their advice on the best ways to break into the industry and how to set out your work.

Some of the guests should surely get a medal for the long journeys they suffered to get here, but a medal of honour must go the Hell-Trekkers. This band of merry fans started out in the south of England and made their way up the country picking up fellow fans in their Hell-Trekker mini-bus, they had banners and they had t-shirts (some also had mammoth hangovers Saturday morning but they are allowed that.). As 2000AD fans go this merry band brought a very light-hearted atmosphere with them and you have to admire their sheer determination to make sure they arrived in one piece.

My advice to creator, dealer or fan is to strongly consider Inverness, come for the weekend and you won't regret it. The show is professionally put together and is a labour of love for Richmond Clements and Vicky Stonebridge, their enthusiasm and hard work is very catching and Hi-Ex has to be one of the best conventions in the world. One word of advice is don't stay at a hotel in the centre of town, the party atmosphere tends to go on until the wee small hours of the morning and the main street seemed to be full of howler monkeys until 4am